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About

Toshiko Takaezu

American, born Japan, 1922 - 2011

Stoneware Pot, 1963

Not On View

Stoneware

Dimensions: 10 × 7 1/4 in. (25.4 × 18.4 cm)

Museum Purchase, 1963.16

Though inspired by her Hawaiian and Japanese heritage, Toshiko Takaezu said that she found her voice as an artist at Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills. She said that is where she found her voice as an artist. Takaezu called objects like these “closed forms.” They started as open-mouthed vessels that she either closed completely or left open at the top with just a tiny hole. The subtle curves and irregular surfaces of her vessels were inspired by traditional Japanese pottery. Her glazing technique however, was derived from the expressive and spontaneous style of modern painting. She freely dipped, poured, and painted her forms like an artist applied paint to a canvas.